Commerce Insights Blog

In the e-commerce world, the lines between business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) are blurring and e-businesses are renewing their focus on more sophisticated business-to-end buyer engagements, regardless of type: enter B2X commerce.

ShopVisible’s annual Client Connect conference attracted e-commerce and business executives from top companies such as Alpha Industries, RapidBuyr, Loehmann’s, Plow & Hearth, Tempur-Pedic and dozens of others who build their businesses using ShopVisible’s award-winning SaaS commerce platform. The conference also featured nationally recognized speakers including:

The central theme of the conference last week, “B2X Commerce”, explored the idea that with e-commerce sales slated to surpass the $250 billion mark and business-to-business slated to more than double that amount in this year alone, there are some universal standards currently being set in both arenas. During this rapid growth period, companies should steer clear of thinking within the strict boundaries of B2C or B2B but rather B2X, focusing on the end e-commerce buyer and meeting their needs.

In his opening address, ShopVisible CEO, Sean Cook challenged the audience, “Now is the time for manufacturers, brands and retailers to recognize that our industry is no longer about simply B2C or B2B. Instead, it’s about delivering great customer experiences with automated processes, where customers can self-serve when they want and buy in the manner that works for them. This is a new conceptualization entirely, one we call B2X.”

It’s
Social Media Atlanta week and the ShopVisible team attended several
panel discussions including “Social Media for Start-Ups,” “Social,
Viral, and Experiential is the New Boom Boom Pow of Marketing,” and
“Social Media Innovations.” We came away with some great information
about social media strategies for ecommerce companies.

With
worldwide broadband access increasing from 55 to 90% in 2012 and over
1.7 billion internet users worldwide, there’s no denying the importance
of an ecommerce strategy. How do you best reach those users and
potential customers?

Social
media presence is no longer optional, its a necessity. Yvette Evans,
director of business development at Vitrue, notes that the average time
spent on social media sites increased 82% from 2008 to 2009. Facebook
and Twitter are easy and affordable ways to reach a captive audience.
The key to success and measurable increases in sales is to build
relationships with your fans and encourage loyalty by keeping them
active. What are the five important things should you consider when
building your social media campaign?

(1) Improve Customer Service

Think
of social media as another avenue for customer service. Respond to
tweets and posts that have complaints, suggestions, or compliments.
Listen to what consumers are saying and respond accordingly. Your
customers will appreciate the individual attention and remember it the
next time they purchase.

(2) Leverage Your Social Network

Build
personal relationships with influential followers. Seek out consumers
that have a large social media following and take the time to get to
know them. Offer a giveaway on their blog, or an exclusive discount code
they can give their readers. You’ll reach a new audience and potential
customers you did not have access to previously.

(3) Create Content

Keep
your content fresh and up to date. Nicole Jayne, Social Media Manager
for Scoutmob, stresses the importance of identifying your voice and
keeping it authentic to your brand. Once you’ve found it, produce
relevant and compelling content often to keep consumers engaged.

(4) Offer Incentives

Run
promotions, contests, discounts, and ads on Facebook. Consumers will
share deals with their friends and expand your advertising reach
exponentially at little cost to you. According to a study by BBDO, 82%
of Facebook users say that businesses could improve their page by adding
more deals and coupons. Listen to the people, leverage opportunities
during slow periods and holidays to increase sales.

(5) Give Your Customer A Voice

Add customer reviews to your site. Dean Trevelino of Trevelino Keller
notes that 72% of people trust peer reviews and only fourteen percent
trust traditional advertising methods. Not only do these reviews give
new customers guidance when purchasing, but they naturally increase your
SEO by providing fresh content to your site on a frequent basis.

What
can we expect to see in 2011? The panelists focused a great deal on the
opportunities brought about by mobile devices. With the explosive
adoption of smartphone and tablet use, consumers will do a large portion
of their shopping with these mobile devices. Implementing a mobile
solution like ShopVisible’s Mobile Commerce solutions ensures that your
customer stays connected to your site, wherever they’re searching.

Additionally,
panelists discussed social media innovations in the form of twitter
payments, targeted coupon offers through Facebook, and blog search
engines. With the ability to reach 500 million consumers on Facebook and
145 million consumers on Twitter, this is an exciting time for social
media. Retailers and brands should join the conversation.

ShopVisible
believes the time of tacitly sitting on the sideline has passed. You
have to get in the conversation, and begin to engage customers in ways
that will end up providing a great return on investment - returns on
your dollars, and your customers' time spent.

Last week I attended a seminar hosted by Google entitled
“Engaging the Connected Consumer with Mobile”. Elliot Nix, who conducted the
session, shared some insightful tips for meeting the emerging mobile phenomenon
head on.

It’s undeniable that 2010 has been a transformative year for
mobile. The spike in acquisitions of mobile advertising companies, like that of
Admob by Google, suggests that mobile is a trend to be reckoned with.
Additionally, the explosion of new devices and their rapid adoption into
mainstream use in 2010 simply strengthens the case for investing into a mobile
campaign. Currently, 10-17% of traffic is of mobile origin but it is projected
that by 2013 over 50% of site traffic will come from a mobile device. Since 2008, there has been a 500% increase in
mobile search. The numbers are pretty compelling; so what should you consider
when thinking about going mobile?

Should I create an app or a mobile site?

As technology advances and we enjoy quicker load times the
app becomes less relevant. Why? Apps were created in large part due to the
lengthy browser load times available with the EDGE and first generation mobile
technology. And while apps are undeniably an important step in the
transformation of mobile use there will likely be a transition to the browser
for search as we move beyond 4G speed.

How do I make a site ‘mobile optimized’?

First things first; look at how your site currently loads
onto all the major mobile devices.Do
you like what you see? What behaviors do you want your consumers to engage in
by looking at your site on a mobile phone? How can you make it easy for them to
do that?

Create a site that is simple and intuitive to navigate.
Don’t make them think hard on how to purchase something or find the nearest
store. Consider what you are selling and
how to make your site relevant to both the product and the user. Perhaps your
product isn’t appropriate to sell on a mobile device, but would a user like to
research what you are selling? Make it easy for the consumer to get what they
want out of your site. Create a site that is useful for a mobile device; think
of the user first.

Would you like to speak to one of our platform consultants?

Please indicate that you would like to set up a call with one of our team members in the message field of the contact form. We’ll set up a time that’s convenient for you to show you the inner workings of the ShopVisible platform, and answer any technical questions you might have.